Legal Alerts

This alert summarizes some of the key differences between the office-based guidance issued on May 28 and the updated guidance on June 26.  Businesses should check the date at the top of the guidance to determine when it was last updated for their industry.

Attorney Katherine L. Wood was featured as a guest contributor to Step Out Buffalo Business's Business Blog on July 8, 2020.

Hurwitz & Fine's Insurance Coverage team was quoted in Claims Journal and Insurance Journal on July 7, 2020 for its analysis of the first COVID-19 decision last week by a trial court judge in Lansing, Michigan.

Attorney Lee S. Siegel was quoted in the Best's Insurance News & Analysis July 6, 2020 article.

The Hurwitz & Fine Coverage Team prepared a consolidated resource document comprised of legislative summaries for all proposed state and federal legislation to date concerning COVID-19 business interruption coverage.

The first substantive COVID-19 business interruption decision nationwide is a big win for insurance carriers. A Michigan state court holds that “direct physical loss of or damage to property” requires more than mere loss of use/access, and, as a bonus, that the virus exclusion unambiguously excludes coverage for the viral pandemic.

The leader who recognizes the importance of conflict resolution is a leader who understands the value of building strength from within, but to do so, one needs to be aware and mindful of the conflict and the need to resolve it.

Now more than ever, we urge our business friends and clients to take this time to reflect on how commercial activities were conducted before the pandemic in the hope of changing the way you effectively conduct business going forward, with the purpose of mitigating or at least reducing your legal risk of exposure.

In Part 2 of this series, we will focus on the new EEOC guidance related to age, sex, and pregnancy discrimination issues that may arise as the result of the pandemic. 

With many regions now in Phase 3 of New York’s reopening plan, employers should be aware of potential claims they may not immediately view as COVID-19 related.

Erie County Clerk Michael P. Kearns has issued a directive opening the Erie County Clerk’s Office to title companies ONLY starting this coming Monday, June 15, 2020.

With the New York lawmakers returning to work, the NYS Legislature has been working to address a number of timely issues, including the (until recently) quickly dwindling CVA lookback window and a multi-bill package intended to reform New York's various law enforcement agencies. 

New York State Workers' Compensation Board (WCB) recently published a fact sheet—entitled COVID-19 & Workers’ Compensation Q&A—which suggests that many COVID-19 claims are likely to be approved.  The key take-aways from the fact sheet and best practices for employers are summarized in this alert.

As of June 4, 2020, outdoor and patio dining have re-opened in WNY as part of Phase 2 of the State’s re-opening plan. How should employers go about re-opening their outdoor dining spaces, and what should they know about the NYS Department of Labor Interim Guidance on outdoor dining? 

The rules for how an IRA account balance is treated upon the death of the account owner have changed significantly, and those changes could impact many families.

More than 350 Business Interruption lawsuits have been filed by policy holders against insurers in response to the pandemic. Attorneys Lee S. Siegel and Ryan P. Maxwell talked to Buffalo Business First in the June 5, 2020 edition on what could happen next.

Hurwitz & Fine Insurance Coverage Attorneys Dan D. Kohane, Steven E. Peiper, Agnieszka E. Wilewicz and Charles J. Englert III were featured in the American Bar Association's Tort Trial and Insurance Practice Section Spring 2020 newsletter for their excess insurance case summaries.

The Paycheck Protection Program Flexibility Act of 2020 was signed into law on June 5th, making the program's lending terms more favorable to small businesses.

This alert summarizes some of the key issues that businesses must consider as they make plans to reopen, including putting together a workplace safety plan.